Glenn County approved Tuesday the immediate dredging of two boat launch sites to extend out into the main Sacramento River channel in order to address concerns that silt and debris were hampering water rescue operations.

Glenn County Sheriff Larry Jones asked the Board of Supervisors to declare that an emergency condition exists at the Ord Bend Park and Butte City boat launches because conditions on the river have made it inaccessible to Sheriff's Office's watercraft.

The Sheriff's Office, Jones said, could now only access the popular waterway through the Irvine Finch River Access near Hamilton City.

The Glenn County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the decision and directed the county's Planning and Public Works Agency to work with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife to begin the "dredging of the launch sites to extend out to the main river channel."

Costs to dredge, or clear out, the channels are expected to be "a little over $5,000," Matt Gomes, Planning and Public Works Agency interim deputy director, told the Board of Supervisors.

Getting approval to dredge the two sites on the Sacramento River was vital to public safety, Jones told the Enterprise-Record.

There has been a project at Ord Bend Park going on for a while, but it has taken so long that the channel has filled up with silt, debris and aquatic vegetation, the sheriff said. At Butte City, the silt build-up and decreasing water levels have hindered launching operations.

"We've had to launch in Hamilton City (Irvine Finch River Access) on search and rescue operations, and it delays our response," he said.

Using Irvine Finch to launch adds approximately 30 to 40 minutes if there's a rescue farther south on the Sacramento River.

Jones said there have been two recent accidents that highlighted the need for quick access to the Sacramento River.

One incident was a collision between two personal watercrafts in Butte City, where emergency responders weren't able to get in the water during an appropriate amount of time. There was also a near-fatal accident south of the Ord Bend launch site.

Jones said the Board of Supervisors action was intended to get the project started immediately, but he did not know the current state of the project.

"I'm responsible for 52 miles of the river and we need to get on it," he said.

Calls to the Glenn County Planning and Public Works Agency were not returned by deadline.

On Thursday, there was an excavating operation underway at Ord Bend Park, but workers there could only say that the park would reopen once construction is completed. Fisherman are anxious since it's the middle of salmon season.